The Kaye Edmonton Clinic is seen in Edmonton, Alta., on Monday, December 3, 2012. The clinic was officially opened and named after Donald Kaye, who donated $30 million. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/QMI Agency

An Edmonton health worker who admitted to illegally accessing the medical records of seven people has been fined $1,000.

Denise Tourneur pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to the violations under the province’s Health Information Act. Court heard the breaches occurred on 44 separate occasions between September 2011 and September 2013.

The guilty plea is the fourth conviction under the Health Information Act since the legislation came into force in 2006. However, the amount of the fine is considerably lower than past penalties.

The first conviction in 2007 produced a $10,000 fine, followed by a $15,000 fine for a 2011 conviction.

A $500 penalty was imposed in the third case in 2014, but that case also included Criminal Code infractions that generated a four-month conditional sentence and probation.

“The fine is lower than what we have seen from previous convictions,” said Scott Sibbald, spokesman for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. “There is some disappointment … but that is what the judge saw fit to assign. It’s one of those things that’s out of our control.”

The breach was discovered in October 2013 by Alberta Health Services. The case was reported to the commissioner’s office, which completed an investigation and then referred the matter to Crown prosecutors. Charges were laid against Tourneur last April.

AHS said it could not disclose the nature of Tourneur’s job at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic, or whether she is still employed by the health authority.

As Advertised in the Edmonton SUN

An Edmonton health worker who admitted to illegally accessing the medical records of seven people has been fined $1,000.

Denise Tourneur pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to the violations under the province’s Health Information Act. Court heard the breaches occurred on 44 separate occasions between September 2011 and September 2013.

The guilty plea is the fourth conviction under the Health Information Act since the legislation came into force in 2006. However, the amount of the fine is considerably lower than past penalties.

The first conviction in 2007 produced a $10,000 fine, followed by a $15,000 fine for a 2011 conviction.

A $500 penalty was imposed in the third case in 2014, but that case also included Criminal Code infractions that generated a four-month conditional sentence and probation.

“The fine is lower than what we have seen from previous convictions,” said Scott Sibbald, spokesman for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. “There is s